President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other leaders on Wednesday paid their rich tributes to comedian Raju Srivastava, who breathed his last at the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here after being admitted to the hospital on August 10 following a heart attack.
Srivastava, 58, died after 41 days of hospitalisation. He was admitted to the hospital on August 10 after he experienced chest pain and collapsed while working out at a gym. For over a month after Srivastava was admitted to the hospital, he was on the ventilator.
Taking to Twitter, President Murmu tweeted in Hindi: “The untimely demise of comedian Raju Srivastava is extremely sad. He had enthralled the audience with his comical performances. He gave a new identity to the comedy scene in India. My condolences to his family and fans.”
In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “Raju Srivastava brightened our lives with laughter, humour and positivity. He leaves us too soon but he will continue to live in the hearts of countless people thanks to his rich work over the years. His demise is saddening. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.” The PM also shared a photo of himself with the comedian along with the tweet.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and several other leaders too mourned the demise of Raju Srivastava.
Srivastava was in the entertainment industry since the 1980s and shot to fame after participating in the first season of the reality stand-up comedy show ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2005.’
He has also appeared in supporting roles in Hindi films such as ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, ‘Baazigar’, the remake of Bombay to Goa and ‘Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiya.’ He was the chairman of the Film Development Council, Uttar Pradesh.